ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lash · vault · chest · content · dip · cold · wax · club

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. dip — to sink
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. content — happy
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wax — to grow
  11. club — for dancing
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. vault — a safe
  14. club — for golf
  15. content — the amount
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. club — a group
  19. cold — an illness
  20. chest — a box
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com